Feinstein, John. The Last Amateurs: Playing for Glory and Honor in Division I College Basketball. Little, Brown and Company, 2000.
Reason read: in college basketball there is a thing called March Madness. Read in honor of the hype.
John Feinstein spent a season with the basketball players of the Patriots League. What started as an assignment for the Washington Post (even though Feinstein was not working for the organization at the time) turned into The Last Amateurs. This is an in-depth peek into the lives of the players as athletes, students, sons, and brothers. Ambitious coaches become fathers and husbands. Characters become real people as personal lives are explored. Because Last Amateurs is extremely well researched readers will get a play by play of the more significant games and mini biographies of coaches, colleges, and players. All the heartbreak due to injury or losses as well as the triumphs of success. They will also get added detail like the careers and alma maters of the parents of the players. Rutgers, Holy Cross, Bucknell, Navy, Lehigh, Lafayette, Army, Colgate, Duke, Wagner, Yale, Penn State, and Villanova are the institutions to get Feinstein’s extensive coverage. Feinstein’s description of the the game between Lehigh and Lafayette was pretty exciting. I almost could feel the atmosphere in the gym as the players battled for the win.
Confessional: I had never heard of the Patriot League.
The me connection: Feinstein mentions Fairleigh Dickinson University. I earned my Bachelors degree from F.D.U.
Another connection: the Worcester Six. When Feinstein mentioned the horrible fire that took the lives of six firefighters I immediately thought of the race I have run as a fundraiser for their families.
I am always looking for ways to become a better supervisor. When Feinstein said players were always looser when the coach was not in the room it struck a chord with me.
Author fact: Feinstein has written a bunch of books on a variety of subjects. I will be reading another book about basketball and one about the PGA for the Challenge.
Book trivia: Feinstein admitted that every good book needed photographs. The Last Amateurs has a great suite of black and whites.
Music: “Happy Birthday,” and “Amazing Grace.”
BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in the chapter called “Sports and Games” (p 225).
~*LunaSea*~ 